I saw Hallam FM last week and they were eager to get on board with Sheffield Let’s Change4Life. I’m delighted to say they agreed to be a Champion for the programme and are already doing lots of things to showcase their healthy intentions.
It’s great to have a media partner on board, particularly one that is so well-known and focused on the local community.
Watch this space for more information on our Champions!
Earlier this week I attended a meeting with the Batemoor and Jordanthorpe Living Neighbourhoods group. The group had their audit training from Living Streets in December 2009. The group are now discussing what they would like to implement or alter in their area to encourage more people to be physically active in their local community. Initial ideas include an outdoor fitness gym similar to the ones seen in Endcliffe park and Manchester which are used by people of all ages. The group are meeting shortly to make a final decision and complete the bid.
Lots has been going on in schools in the last week or so. With lots of school having a go at the Beat Peat competition. Hunters Bar set some blistering times and currently top the leader board overall, just ahead of Brunswick.
No one is yet to topple the individual leaders from Halfway though and its going to take a special effort from the remaining schools to do so!
Acres Hill and Brunswick also got a treat this week, the whole of both schools got t0 watch a scintillating display from the boy at www.trialsdisplay.co.uk
Ballifield had a great cycle to school day, with over 50 pupils cycling to school for a free breakfast. Pedal Ready were on hand to Dr. any bikes that needed attention and all the pupils that cycled got to practice their skills in the sunshine!
Saturday 20th March sees the launch of the ‘Food Glorious Food’ exhibition at Weston Park Museum between 10am and 6pm. Weston Park will take on all the atmosphere of a village fete, with food, music and dancing, and prizes awarded for the best fancy dress costume on a theme of your favourite vegetable!
The exhibition, which is supported by the Sheffield-Let’s Change4Life programme, will run until 28 November 2010.
One of the first projects for Living Neighbourhoods is Chapeltown Baths. The project was identified during a Community Street Audit that was carried out by the local community which included High Hopes, local residents and students on an Introduction to Community Development Health course. It was highlighted during the audit that the only entrance to the facility is up quite a few steps. The group have since submitted a bid to the Sheffield Lets Change 4 Life board to create a ramp and disabled changing facilities at Chapeltown Baths. These changes will benefit wheelchair users and families with young children in pushchairs.
On Tuesday I went up to Chapeltown Baths to see for myself how difficult it is for some people to access to Chapeltown Baths. One person we spoke to on the day actually said they now drive 20 minutes to another pool in Sheffield that has better access for their disabled son. Once the ramp has been completed the family will be able to walk to the baths. Not only is this helping the environment but also means that the whole family are getting that extra few minutes of physical activity in their week.
The guidelines for physical active are 30 minutes on 5 days of the week for adults and 60 minutes every day for children. Swapping the car for your feet over short journeys helps you to accumulate this target. Why not start by leaving the car at home for one journey next week and see how much better you feel for getting some exercise in the fresh air.
Big news for Sheffield Forgemasters this week. I don’t mean them securing a £140 million deal to build components for new nuclear power stations, pretty much guaranteeing the future of local manufacturing for the next twenty years. No, they are the latest company to sign up to the Healthy Champion programme and put their name to Sheffield Let’s Change4Life!
I met with the Occupational Health Nurse, Dawn Brunt, who saw the Champion programme as a great opportunity. They currently employ around 800 staff in the city and are always looking to make positive steps to safeguard their health.
I’m absolutely delighted they recognise obesity as a real issue for the city and am looking forward to working with them to help Sheffield become a truly healthy place to live and work.
A programme of support to Schools has recently started through the 4 Sheffield School Sports Partnerships. This has been launched in a number of primary schools and will run right throguh until the end of the academic year.
The programme includes working with pupils to find out what activities they would like to do either at lunch time or after school, some examples include skipping and trampolining. Pupils being trained as play leaders and more unusual activities such as cheerleading!
Another busy week done and another busy one to go. beat Peat is keeping Bike It busy in Sheffield. The fast times from Greystones which stood for a while have been smashed by Halfway. Going 12 seconds faster that the previous fastest time posting 1.35! Not only that but they no make up the top 3 for both male and female – Its going to take a lot to beat those; Peaty must be getting worried.
As well as lots of virtual racing, there was a great cycle to school day at Brunswick. With 120 pupils cycling to school on a sunny but very cold morning. Not only that but a lot of parents did too. All being rewarded with a nice healthy breakfast too.
It was then down to myself and Pedal ready to Dr. the bikes and get them healthy for safe riding.
This week is another packed week of more of the same as well as an exciting appearence by world no.3 Trials ace Ben Slinger and fellow competitor Danny Butler to put on a show in a couple of schools.
But for now
Keep on pedaling
This week has been a busy one as well as being a Beat Peat Sandwich. Greystones kicked of the compettion proper on monday, with several of the students setting blistering times and it had been rounded of with 28 pupils taking their turn at Meynell again with fast times and heaving lungs by the end of it, even Mr Taylor had a go setting a respectable time too, maybe i will set up a teachers league too.
So far the standings are as follows….
Fastest Male – Greystones – 1.47
Fastest Female – Valley Park – 1.49
Fastest overall school (avg) – Greystones – 2.32
The rest of the week has been spent chasing round the country for courses and meetings. Even managed to squeeze in a post work trip ove to the velodrome in Manchester for a track session last night.
Next week is looking pretty exciting too, with a Cycle to school day at Brunswick and Beat Peat at Pipworth and a chance to meet the rest of the Sheffield C4L people too.
Enjoy the sunshine for the weekend and get out and pedal
Specsavers Opticians at Crystal Peaks are the latest company to become a business champion and are committed to the Sheffield Let’s Change4Life programme. At the 2009 Sheffield Chamber of Commerce Business awards the practice scooped the NHS Sheffield Healthy Business award, so they were perfect candidates to be a champion.
Specsavers at Crystal Peaks have already shown commitment to their employees by introducing full health care screening for all staff as well as undertaking a stress survey to assess work life balance, holding dress down days and advocating flexible working hours.
Following the results of the first health screening session’s employees became noticeably healthy and more active. A second screening was carried out in September 2009 to assess any changes achieved and this provided extraordinary results.
The number of employees not taking any exercise was reduced from 42 per cent to 15 per cent, which the number of employees engaging in exercise increased from 19 per cent to 37 per cent. The number of staff who smoked reduced to just 5 per cent, 56 per cent of staff reduced their body fat, Cholesterol levels were reduced and the total weight loss amongst staff was more than 11 stone.
When I spoke to Director Gil Vasey he told me: “We were delighted to have won the healthy business award. As a practice we are both very customer and staff focussed and to be recognised for this is great.
“Our staff are a tremendous asset to our business and it is important that they feel valued and recognised and the health screening allowed us to do just that and indicated how much we care about their health.
“Becoming a healthy business champion is a great way to motivate staff and ensure that you have a healthy and happy workforce. We are pleased and very proud to get involved with the Sheffield Let’s Change4Life initiative.”
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